Hostelworld Press Room

Hostelworld.com reaches download high

April 28, 2008

Hostelworld.com reached a significant milestone this week when the 1 millionth Pocket Guide was downloaded from the site. The 4 page downloadable PDF guides were launched in 2004 and provide backpackers with a free pocket sized travel guide to accompany them on their city breaks.

Colm Hanratty, Editor of Hostelworld.com commented "Downloadable PDF guides are becoming more and more popular with the tech savvy backpacker market who are increasingly turning away from the traditional guidebook in lieu of something more up to date and compact. Our guides are unique, because they are specifically aimed at our target market, outlining great places to eat, drink and visit that suit our customers' budget and lifestyle"

"Over the last 12 months we have worked hard to get a better spread of guides to include more for Asian destinations. We now have downloadable guides for Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Tokyo. However, our most popular guides remain those for the European cities - London, Paris, Rome and Barcelona"

Along with 40 downloadable Pocket Guides, Hostelworld.com has recently published 25 travel podcasts. The newest of the award-winning podcasts, presented by Hanratty, is called 'Only in Lisbon…' which is one of a suite of podcasts highlighting unique aspects of different cities.

A recent survey commissioned by Hostelworld.com showed that 35% of backpackers bring laptops with them when they travel and 71% bring an MP3 player or iPod. This growing use of technology among backpackers demonstrates why the company needs to be at the forefront of digital content development.

About Hostelworld.comHostelworld.com is a leading provider of online reservations to the budget, independent and youth travel market. It offers confirmed online reservations for over 16,000 hostels and budget hotels in 168 countries worldwide. The site also offers budget travellers free podcasts, customised city guides, a travel social network and more. Hostelworld.com is headquartered in Dublin and is fully owned and operated by Web Reservations International Ltd (WRI).